Improvement in apparatus for carbonating beverages



J. MATTHEWS, Apparatus f or Carbonating Beverages Patented Dec. I8,1877.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

JOHN MATTHEWS, OF NEw' YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT, IN APPARATUS FOR CARBONATING BEVERAGES.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 198,403, dated December18,1877; application filed p November 30,1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MATTHEWS, of the city, county, and State ofNewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Garbonating Beverages; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the `same,`reference being had'to the Aaccompanying drawing, and to the letters o'freferencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates tow apparatus for carbonating beverages.

It consists of instrumentalities whereby the apparatus is more easilyand substantially made; instrumentalities whereby the durability of suchapparatus is increased; instrumentalities whereby the contents of suchapparatus are more completely discharged; instrumentalities whereby thebeverages are protected from metallic contamination and thepurity of thebeverage maintained; and instrumentalities whereby the apparatus can beoperated with less labor and in less time.

The following are the defects in apparatus at present in use, which areobviated by the improvement herein described.

In ordinary apparatus for carbonating beverages the charging-bungs,discharging-bungs, and other connections are made with flanges, wherebythey are secured in position by soldering the ilange fast to theinterior case or lead lining. A good joint cannot thus be made, owing tothe difficulty of confining the solder in its place during the processof soldering.

` Very often the joint is seemingly a good one,

until the apparatus is put together, when it is folmd, on testing it, toleak,owing to some imperfection in the soldering, due to the difficultyincurred of making the joint hot enough in.

the process of soldering; for if the joint is made hot enough for thispinpose, there is great danger of the solder running away from thejoint, and also of burning the lining, which might render it useless.

In apparatus for carbonatin g beverages thus made, the solder and thelange of the connection project into the interior of the apparatus,

^ thereby lessening its working capacity, by preventing it from beingthoroughly discharged of its contents.

In apparatus for carbonating beverages as now constructed the interioris made of sheettin, protected by an exterior case of cast-iron orsteel, which serves only as a resistance to the pressure inside of theapparatus. Around the bungs or connections the air has free accessbetween the exterior and interior cases.

If the operator discharges the contents of the apparatus without ventingit by iirst opening the charging-bung, a partial vacuum is created inthe apparatus, and the interior case or lining is liable to collapse,'byreason of the air entering between the exterior and interior case andpressing on the lining, necessitating the taking apart and relining ofthe apparatus.

In apparatus for carbonating beverages as now constructed, the agitatorthat mixes the gas with the liquid is generally made of' brass,

copper, or other poisonous metal, washed with tin. This tin-wash soonwears off, leaving the base metal to contaminate the beverage after itremains in the apparatus a short time. Agitators are also made withbeaters of porcelain, as described in my patent of August 5, 1873,numbered 141,571. These agitators are not well adapted fortransportation, as they are more easily broken than metallic ones.Ordinary agitators are generally of such form that they cut through thegas and liquid more or less,'vwithout thoroughly mixing them together,thereby taking more time and labor to make the carbonated drink.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a lengthwise section of myapparatus, and Fig. 2 is an end section.

a represents the exterior metal case; b, interior tin case or lining; c,charging-bung; d, discharging-bung; e, flange-connections; E,stuffing-box; F, agitator-supporter; Gr G, agitator-beaters H H,cast-tin agitator-heads; D D, strengthening rods and ribs; J J J J, thesolder holding the brass pieces in position; K, gas-washer supporter; L,vent-tube; m m', two pipes connected with plugs in the side of theshell.

I construct the external case of my appa` ratus for carbonatingbeverages with recesses, in which the anges of the brass connectionsrest, as in e. I am thus enabled to more thoroughly solder theconnections to the lining with 'greater ease, and without waste ofmaterial, as the recess confines the solder to its proper place. Inmaking fast the bungs, the recess is lled with solder flush with theinterior of the apparatus, so that the apparatus can be thoroughlydischarged of' its contents without lessenin g its capacity. In formingthe joints in the recess, I am enabled to make them thoroughly1 hotwithout danger of burning the lining. To avoid a collapse of the liningwhen the contents are discharged, I introduce aventtube, L, into theapparatus, which projects into the discharge-bung d, and extendsinwardly nearly to the top of the apparatus, so that when thedischarge-bung is opened to empty the apparatus the air will enter thevent-tube, preventing the partial vacuum which might cause the lining tocollapse.

I construct the agitator of my apparatus with ends H H of tin, castaround the strengthening rods and ribs D D D D. These ends haveserpentine openings, in which the beaters G G are fitted. The beaters GG are made of sheet-copper, cased on both sides with sheettin, sweatedto the copper. They are then corrugated to lit the serpentine openings,into which they are sweated with pure tin.

By making the beaters of corrugated form, I secure the advantage of morethoroughly agitating the gas and liquid, as the corrugations retain thegas, and carry it beneath the liquid when the agitator is revolved.

It is obvious that the agitator cannot contaminate the beverage, asnothing but pure tin comes in contact with it. The corrugated form ofthe beaters also gives great strength to the agitator. I incase the backagitatorbearing with tin, and the stuffing-box E is also incased withpure tin.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In apparatus for carbonating liquids, the external case a, providedwith recesses to secure the flange-connections e and solder J, as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. The agitator composed of the strengthenin g rods and ribs D, withhead H and beaters G, substantially as set forth.

3. The agitator-beater G, of corrugated form, as shown, inserted in acorresponding groove in the agitator-head H, and supported by bearingsresting in support F, and stuiing-box E, as set forth.

4. The discharge-bung d, `provided with the vent-tube L, so as toprevent acollapse in drawing off the contents of the vessel.

5. The combination, as a whole, of the case a, with lining b,stuffing-box E, agitator-supporter F, and recesses to contain flangeseand solder J, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MATTHEWS. Witnesses:

PHILIP H. SHELLEY, A. F. BUTLER.

